06.01.08
Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 4)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 2)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 3)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 4)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 5)
5 – Lack of faith (Matt. 6:25-34)
An interesting note here is that Jesus ties the desire to accumulate wealth (as viewed by the Pharisees) as a substitute for faith. You know, I want to be secure in my ‘stuff’ too. I really don’t want to live paycheck to paycheck. I’d love to be able to waltz out and purchase exactly what I want (or need) when I want to. I want my kid to have it better than I had it as a kid. Perhaps you are like that as well. That has not been in the cards for me, and maybe a reflection and thanks should be offered up for that. It seems to be a truism that those with material means may not see the need to trust God for needs today and tomorrow. Have a bumper crop? Build bigger storage facilities!
What does Christ say about this – ‘do not worry about your life’. The reasons for this are we are more than just a physical being (vs. 25). If that was all we were, then our concerns for food and clothing would pretty much cover it. Look around now! What makeup, mascara, deodorant, nail polish, body wash, under garments, car, truck, beer, wine, causes (care to go green?) are all things that we may view as must haves or must do’s for various reasons. Recently (yesterday, as I type this) I went to a funeral for a friend. It was different in that we walked from the church to the burial site. Again – I noticed no u-haul or storage pod for all the ‘stuff’ accumulated in the 50 years of this friend’s life. And everything you and I acquire will not leave planet Earth and travel with us to our Heavenly dwelling place, in fact you are working hard to leave your stuff to someone else. Why do we dote and fret so much over it?
Christ emphasized the Father’s care for all of His creatures (vs. 26). And, as a child of The King who cares for the birds, understand He can provide for you and I just as much because we are more valuable to Him than the birds (much to the chagrin of PETA and others of that persuasion). Another reason not to worry about this stuff and our place in it is that we can’t extend life by even a single hour (vs. 27). Even the best project manager and planner can plan well enough to make their design a substitute for faith.
Christ even refers to creation that is inanimate – the lilies and grass. If God, who has taken care of the flowers for quite some time after He created them, continues to nurture and care for them for such a short period of time, we can be certain He will care for His children.
Then Jesus shows that the Pharisees’ concern to provide for the future grew out of their lack of faith. Check out verse 33. Instead of giving a huge portion of the time we have here in pursuit of stuff to provide security for the days ahead, the command is that we put God’s work and His righteousness before all things. We waste a lot of time about the future here on planet Earth when no promise is given to us for any future here – we are headed to a better place!
I can already imagine the comments to be thought or made. How irresponsible! God also told us that if we didn’t care for our own we are worse than infidels! You are taking the red letters of the Bible out of context here! I hear you. I would only ask that you examine your life in this area, pray (communicate) with God on this area. See if you aren’t – in fact – defending a defenseless position as His child. Our time here is fleeting, what is really important?
Jason Raymer said,
June 2, 2008 at 1:22 pm
“Instead of giving a huge portion of the time we have here in pursuit of stuff to provide security for the days ahead…” Verse 34 tells us not to worry about tomorrow… and you better believe “Each day has enough trouble of its own”. How hard it is though to not worry about tomorrow… the phone bill is due and electricity and the house payment and the car payment and I have to work the rest of the week so I can pay for these things… How do you NOT worry about tomorrow?
You do it by extreme faith, that’s how. You “trust in God with all your heart…” (Prov. 3:5-6), you “Do not be anxious about anything…” (Phil. 4:6-7). How hard is it for a rich man to get into heaven? See The Rich Young Man (Matt. 19:16-24). Why would Jesus say that it is hard for a rich man to gain eternal life? I think because of exactly what Gene is talking about. The rich man is secure in his “stuff”, my “stuff” is who I am, my “stuff” is what I am, my “stuff” is my future… but no, not according to Jesus, you are more important to the Father than any of your “stuff” could ever be to you and that importance should be reciprocated.
Look at the birds of the air and see the lilies of the field, God takes care of them, So… does that mean that we just forget about all of our responsibilities because God is going to take care of us? Not necessarily. I think that you need to have a plan. A plan that starts with God’s guidance. We all have spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8) that we should be using according to our faith and we also have gifts and talents that serve us in this world. So use your talents and gifts to work in this world to provide for your family, but don’t worry about it, just do it having faith in the plan that you worked out for yourself with God. Because He knows the plans he has for you (Jer. 29:11), it’s just a matter of you listening to what he has to say.
So… Don’t store up your treasures here (Matt. 6:19-21) ’cause here don’t matter as much as there… there being eternity.
Just my 2 cents
(have I lost my mind?… a LONG time ago :D)